Birthday Boy Letterman Gets Jury Duty

SERVED: David Letterman got lucky when it came to jury duty – he only served one day. The Late Show host, whose 58th birthday is Tuesday, showed up at Westchester County’s Supreme Courthouse on Monday and was considered for a medical malpractice case, the local Journal News reports. But he didn’t make the final cut, and after lunch he was excused altogether – and he was back at the Ed Sullivan Theater for his CBS program by early afternoon. During breaks, he sat quietly, reading a book about Montana, according to the Journal News. “I’ll be serving jury duty next in Montana,” said Dave. “I plan to serve on jury duty in all 50 states.”

WON: Gretchen Wilson took home two Country Music Television awards Monday night, for breakthrough video (her smash “Redneck Woman”) and female video (for the ballad “When I Think About Cheatin'”). The night’s other big winner was Keith Urban, who took video of the year honors for his hit “Days Go By.” “The fans are a passionate lot, and I love that,” Urban said. “It’s pretty overwhelming when you get that kind of love back from people like I’ve been getting.” Other winners included Kenny Chesney (male video for “I Go Back”), Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss (collaborative video of the year for their duet “Whiskey Lullaby”), Rascal Flatts (best group/duo video for “Feels Like Today”), Toby Keith (hottest video for “Whiskey Girl”), Tim McGraw (most inspiring video for “Live Like You Were Dying”), and actor/director Rick Schroder (best director for the “Whiskey Lullaby” video).

REPRIMANDED: CBS newsman Andy Rooney, 86, got a lecture from the judge for trying to interrogate a lawyer while on the witness stand, the Associated Press reports. “No, no, no, Mr. Rooney,” said federal Judge Colleen McMahon, her head in her hands. “The first rule is the witness never gets to ask any questions … even if he’s a journalist.” Rooney was the first witness in the fraud trial of Alan Walker, 67, who ran the Program Corp. of America, a firm that matched speakers with events. Rooney testified Walker owes him about $10,000 from a 2003 speech at Indiana State University. Other witnesses in the trial are former basketball star Magic Johnson, retired astronaut Scott Carpenter, and Robert Ballard, the undersea explorer who found the wreck of the Titanic.

ANNOUNCED: Martha Reeves, 63, formerly of the ’60s singing group Martha Reeves & the Vandellas (whose hits included “Dancing in the Street,” “Heat Wave” and “Nowhere to Run”), is circulating petitions to run for the Detroit City Council. “I think I’ve had a very good opportunity to travel the world and to observe things,” she told WDIV-TV. “I’ve always been a good team player and I figure I’ll be an asset on our city council in Detroit.” Reeves said the city is dealing with a number of serious problems, including blight, abandoned buildings and a struggling public schools system. “I’d like to start with the schools and have them, you know, sort of scrutinized and have them get a better understanding of how to educate our children,” she said.